Lift bedstead



2 Sheets-,Sheet 1 G. F. ARCHER LIFT BEDSTEAD Filed Aug. 12, v195'? March 29, l1938.

vATTORNEY G. F. ARCHER` `LIFT BE'DSTEAD Filed Aug. 12, 1937 Mml129, 193s.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 29 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LIFT BEDSTEAD George F. Archer, New York, N. Y.

Application August 12, 1937, Serial No. 158,697

7 Claims.l

In small houses and apartments the space occupied by a bedstead is valuable in day time and the purpose of my invention is to render such spacey available through the medium of means for lifting the bedstead to the ceiling to thus provide for full occupancy of the floor space when the bedstead is not in use.

The idea of lifting the bedstead to the ceiling is not broadly new with me, but my improve- 0 ment comprehends the further feature of means for turning the bedstead in its ascent so that the legs will be directed toward the ceiling and the head and footboards will depend, thus providing greater head room, an important factor where the room height is relatively small, and rental space expensive.

To further extend the head room the legs may enter holes provided in the ceiling, enabling the bedstead bottom to lie closely adjacent the ceiling.

The headboard of the bedstead may, for convenience, be positioned near a wall of the room and may include a mirror in its front surface.

'I'he hauling up means may be by cables con- .;5 nected fore and aft, operating over pulleys, the

connection with the bedstead being located below the centre of gravity, causing the bedstead to turn in its ascent, guide and brake means being provided.

The lifting may be performed manually or by power means.

Either the mattress and bedding may be v,se-- cured to the bedstead to retain them when the n bedstead is inverted, or said mattress and bed- 5" ding may be removed.

To give greater clearance the footboard may be hinged and thus capable of folding on to the bed or bedstead to be out of the way.

Also my invention comprehends the provision of means whereby a bedstead in its descent from its upside down position may be caused to turn and right itself so that its legs will alight on the floor and the bedstead will stand on the floor 4,. right side up.

0 Other features and advantages of my invention will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a bedstead,

, with bedding, that has been hoisted, and re- "o versed, so that its legs are uppermost and engage the ceiling of a room.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged, side sectional view of the bedstead standing on its legs on the oor of a room and provided with means for hoisting and turning it.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view showing a brake drum mounted on a shaft carried by the bedstead, an extension of said drum that is guided in its vertical movement, and a varlably tensioned brake band, connected to the bedstead, i to regulate the turning movement thereof.

Fig. 4 is a detail of a modification wherein the foot board is hinged.

Fig. 5 is a view showing a bedstead suspended and counterweighted in the process of turning w While being raised to the ceiling.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 6--6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 'I--l of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 8 is an end view showing electro-magnetic means for changing the centre of gravity of a bedstead, causing it to rotate in opposite directions.

In said views I have shown 'the bedstead A provided with side bars I, headboard 2 and footboard 3, these head and footboards being provided with the legs 4.

Fittings 5 and 6, secured respectively to the head and footboards, in central longitudinal line below the centre of gravity of the bedstead, 25 serve as journal bearings for a shaft 1, so that the bedstead, by means of said fittings, may be rotatable about said shaft.

Shaft I has an end 8 projecting beyond tting 5 and entered within a brake drum 9, and said 30 brake drum is provided with an axial, squared extension I0 that lies between a pair of spaced, vertical guide members I I and an eye bolt I2, secured to extension I0, is shown to be engaged by one end of a cable I3. The cable is passed 35 over pulleys I4, I5 that are secured to the ceiling I6 of the room containing the bedstead, said cable being here shown as engaged by a windlass I'I or other anchorage secured to the room floor and operable by a motor I8 for raising and lowering the bedstead. Also the cable may be operated manually or by any suitable mechanical means, as is obvious.

As means of cable engagement with the foot portion of the bedstead I provide an eye bolt I9 .45 extended from that end of shaft I journalled in fitting 6, and a cable 20 engages a sheave `2l that is secured to the ceiling, so that the bedstead is supported equally fore and aft in its vertical movement and as inverted. Obviously a single cable may be employed to perform the service of cables I3 and 20.

Because the bedstead is pivoted on shaft 1 below its centre of gravity, it will, when being lifted from the oor, turn to direct its legs toward the ceiling and its upper portion downwardly, and this rotation, if unchecked, would cause the headboard to turn toward the oor before the bedstead had risen sufficiently for the headboard to clear the oor. Therefore I provide means for restraining the turning motion during elevation.

As an example of such restraining means I have shown a brake band composed of the members 22, hinged at their coincident ends 23 to a pintle 24 carried by a lug 25 that is secured to and depends from the headboard 2. The brake band is placed about the drum 9 over intervening brake lining 26, and the free, outturned ends 21 of members 22 are connected by a bolt 28 with nut 23; a spring 30, interposed between ends 21 expanding said members 22 against the regulable tension applied by nut 29. Y

Under the adjusted tension of the brake band the turning movement of the bedstead may be suitably regulated.

The bedding, including the spring mattress, may or may not be removed from the bedstead before hoisting the latter. If left in place then the bedding and mattress may be connected to the bedstead to prevent displacement. To this end I provide removable strips 3i of spring-like material, having bent over ends, said strips being placed across the bedding with their` bent over ends caught beneath the side bars of the bedstead.

To increase the head room when the bedstead is raised, inverted, to the ceiling, holes 32 may be formed in the ceiling to receive the legs 4.

As illustrated the headboard of the bedstead is located parallel with and adjacent a wall of the room, in this way offering, when elevated, less obstruction to head room, and said headboard is shown as provided with a mirror 33 which is conveniently usable when the headboard is pendent.

In Fig. 4 there appears a modification wherein the footboard is hinged, as at 35i, to be thus capable of folding down upon the bedstead to be more out of the way.

When thebedstead is being pulled down for use, an operator may easily turn it by hand to bring the legs to rest upon the oor.

In thc modification of Figs. 5 to 'l I have shown a bedstead 35 as engaged by a cable 36, passed over pulleys 31, 38 that are secured to the ceiling and provided with a counterweight 3B. The same assemblage of cable, pulleys and counterweight is used both for the front and rear of the bedstead.

A shaft di! is extended longitudinally through the bedstead, about in the centre of gravity thereof, and a two-part revoluble member, composed of the plates 4l and 42, both engaged with shaft 40, is mounted over an escutcheon 43 that is secured to a panel d4 of the bedstead, roller bearings 45 facilitating the turning movement of said revoluble member.

At a point on the plate 4I distant from its shaft engaging centre a stud it serves as an anchorage for cable 36, this stud, according to the rotated position of plates 4|, 42 determining' the centre vgized to extend and retract said plunger.

of gravity relation of the bedstead. An arm 4I extended from plate 4| permits its manual rotation and a spring detent handle 48 which is engageable in recesses 49 in the escutcheon constitutes means for locking plates` 4|, 42 in the set position of the revoluble member. In the rotated position of members 4l, 42 appearing in Fig. 5 the stud 46 is below the centre of gravity and thus in hauling toward the ceiling the bedstead will turn upside down. Then, when about to bring the bedstead down to the floor the plates 4l, 42 will be turned by arm 4l to place stud 4B above the centre of gravity, whereupon the bedstead in descent will rotate into its upright position for landing with its legs on the floor.

In the further modification of Fig. 8 I have shown a solenoid 5t whose plunger 5I carries a stub shaft 52 to which a cable 36 is attached, said shaft being shiftable to change the position of the centre of gravity as said solenoid is ener- Pivotal arms 53, 54, slotted as at 55, tol receive shaft 5l serve as lateral guides for said shaft.

Variations within the spirit and scope of my invention are equally comprehended by the foregoing disclosure.

I claim:-

1. The combination with a bedstead of pivotal means therefor located fore and aft below its centre of gravity, xed pulley means located above the bedstead, and cable means extended over said pulley means and engaging said pivotal means for hauling said bedsteadrupwardly, and causing the bedstead to turn while ascending.

2. The subject matter of claim i including the provision of brake means to retard the turning speed of the bedstead.

3. The subject matter of claim l including the provision ofvertical guide means and means extended from said bedstead to co-act with said guide means in its vertical movement.

4. The combination with a room having a floor and ceiling of a bedstead having legs that normally rest upon the floor, said ceiling having holes therein adapted to receive said legs, means for hauling said'bedstead upwardly, and to cause said bedstead to invert while being raised, and guide means to direct the upward movement of said bedstead causing its legs to register with and enter said holes.

5. The subject matter of claim 4 including the provision of braking means carried by said bedstead to regulate its speed of rotation.

6. The subject matter of claim 1 including the provision of the bedstead footboard being hinged to be foldable.

7. The combination with a bedstead of pivotal means therefor located longitudinally in its centre of gravity, pulley means located above the bedstead cables connected with said pivotal and pulley means, and cable engaging means borne by said pivotal means that are shiftable both below and above said centre of gravity, so that the bedstead may be rotated in either direction while beingfraised and lowered.

GEORGE F. ARCHER. 

